A lot of previous Karndean discussions.
http://www.houzz.com/discussions/query/%22karndean%22

Make sure your condo does not have sound rating requirements. Many LVT planks are very loud which make it difficult to install in multifamily units. The amount of underlay/complaints boards get can make a difference as to what you area "allowed" to use. It also depends on where you are in the building and what you are replacing.

Thanks for the quick respond, I had a small water leak in the kitchen. The water drained in to my bedroom under the Laminate floor. I understand there is a sound barrier of 50. Does that sound right or is that only for tile??

We used vinyl plank flooring in our basement after we had a burst pipe this past winter. Traffic Master Allure Luxury Vinyl Plank (snap together style). Looks really nice and is 100% waterproof. It is louder than carpet, hardwood, porcelain.

It is my understanding there is now an underlayment. For sound issues.

Is this a sound problem that you'd notice in the room in which the flooring is placed or is it only a problem if you have someone below you?

Both. Vinyl is a 'reflective' surface = sound hits it and bounces back into the space. This sound is added to the original sound (like dropping a set of keys and hearing a "ringing" for a second or so). This is the echo that is created. Vinyl and laminate are famous for helping noise INCREASE in a space. That's why it always feels so LOUD in some spaces...even though there is nothing going on. This is echo/hang time.

The vinyl flooring itself (not just the surface) often helps sound transfer from one space to another. This is what happens when you hear someone's TV from another unit. This is called 'sound transfer'. These floors are famous for sending, clean, pure, loud sounds into someone else's space = highly annoying = trouble from neighbors. Vinyl and laminate allow sound to bounce down hallways and into bedrooms, etc. Two people talking in a room full of vinyl flooring can get "too loud" for many people.

Wood flooring is not as extreme. It may not reduce foot steps but it will stop echos from beginning (to some extent). Carpet stops the sound of footfalls and it reduces echos...but it doesn't filter out things like "TV noise" or conversations.

Things like cork and rubber are noise reducers as well as non-reflective surfaces. They prevent sound from starting (like the dropped keys), they prevent the sound from creating an echo (these are absorptive surfaces) and stop sound from reaching into other spaces - like down stairs or down the hall.

Thanks - great explanation...

I have concrete floors and had laminate flooring without any sound problems. Am I ok moving forward with the vinyl flooring?

I have a client with concrete floors that used to have carpet. Without consulting me she put down laminate and likes them . I don't because they sound and feel like you are walking on 1/4" ply board. Vinyl tile would have been better than laminate.

So long as the condo board likes the acoustics and the numbers produced, you are welcome to use what ever they say is "OK". I'm not a fan of vinyl but many people are accepting of the product.